Cabinet



g- 1, 1961 Q G. J. DALL 2,994,145

CABINET Filed Dec. 11, 1958 WF/ /I// VENTOR y Mal M w ATTORNEYS.

United States This invention relates to a cabinet, and more specifically, to a compact and portable iron and ironing board cabinet.

In motels, hotels and other establishments, there has long been a definite need for a compact and highly portable iron and ironing board unit which may be furnished by the management of such an establishment for the convenience of guests or tenants. Conventional ironing boards, even the collapsible type, are far too bulky and cumbersome for this purpose and are also unsatisfactory because of their unattractive appearance if left in exposed condition in corridors before and after use and because of the need for providing convenient storage space for the separate fiatiron units.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a highly portable fiatiron and ironing board cabinet which presents an attractive appearance and which is compact and easy to manipulate. Another object is to provide a portable, compact cabinet equipped with an ironing board which may be folded within the cabinet and which may be extended into a raised position substantially flush with the cabinets top surface. Another important object is to provide a portable ironing board cabinet which, despite its compactness, provides an extremely sturdy support for the collapsible ironing board carried thereby when that board is in raised position.

Other objects will appear from the specification and drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a cabinet embodying the present invention, the cabinet being shown in closed condition.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view similar to FIGURE 1 but showing the cabinet in open condition and ready for use.

FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional view, the cabinet being viewed from the side while it is in closed condition.

FIGURE 4 is a vertical side section showing the cabinet with the ironing board thereof in raised position.

In the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in the drawings, the numeral generally designates a vertically elongated cabinet having a flat top wall or panel 11, a bottom wall 12, side walls 13 and rear wall 14. All of the walls normally extend along horizontal and vertical planes, respectively, with the exception of bottom wall or panel 12 which has an inclined rear portion 15 sloping upwardly and rearwardly towards the rear wall 14. A pair of wheels or coasters 16 are mounted in laterally spaced relation upon the rear portion of bottom panel 12 adjacent rear wall 14. The front portion 17 of the bottom panel is generally horizontally disposed and provides a flat undersurface adapted to rest upon a floor surface. Wheels 16 are positioned so that when the Weight of the unit is distributed between those wheels and front portion 17 the side walls or panels of the cabinet, and particularly the front edges thereof, extend in vertical directions.

At the front of the cabinet is a generally rectangular door 18 pivotally secured by hinge 19 to a front vertical edge of one of the side walls. The door is provided with a handle 20 and is swingable between a closed position (FIGURES 1 and 3) and a fully open position (FIG- URES 2 and 4). The walls of the cabinet, together with door 18, define a storage chamber 21 for receiving an ironing board 22 and its supporting linkage 23 when the board is in collapsed or folded condition.

As shown most clearly in FIGURES 3 and 4, ironing board 22 is provided at its enlarged end with a pair of arms 24 pivotally secured to the cabinets side Walls 13. A folding support structure 23, comprising a single lower member 25, and a pair of upwardly diverging upper members 26 pivotally secured to the lower members upper end, extends between pivotal connections 27 and 28 at the underside of the ironing board and at the inner surface of bottom wall 12, respectively. The jointed support assembly is adjustable between a collapsed condition wherein the ironing board is vertically disposed within compartment 21 (FIGURE 3) and an extended condition wherein the board is supported in a horizontal position substantially flush with the horizontal top surface of top panel 11 (FIGURE 4). The upper members of the support assembly or brace are provided with a stop portion 29 which engages the rear surface of the lower leg 25 when the board is fully raised and which locks the support assembly against collapse in response to weight imposed upon the surface of the ironing board.

Referring to FIGURES l and 2, it will be seen that one of the side walls 15 of the cabinet is provided with an externally opening recess or compartment 30 for supporting a flatiron 31 when the iron is not in use. If desired, the inside wall 32 of the compartment may be inclined upwardly and inwardly and a pair of spaced helical springs 33 may be disposed within the recess to assist in maintaining the iron in supported condition therein. The flatiron itself is entirely conventional and is provided with a cord 34 which extends into the chamber of the cabinet and which terminates in a plug 35 adjacent the cabinets rear wall.

As indicated in FIGURE 4, a desired length of the cord may be withdrawn through the opening '36 in the rear wall of the cabinet so that the plug may be inserted into a suitable electrical receptacle. It will be noted that a coin operated switch 37 is mounted upon the cabinets rear wall and is interposed in the electrical line between plug 35 and iron 31. Since such a switching device is entirely conventional in construction and operation, a further description is believed unnecessary herein. It will be understood, of course, that such a switching device may be eliminated entirely, depending upon the location and intended use of the cabinet.

Mounted upon the upper portion of the rear wall 14 is a handle 38. To move the closed cabinet from place to place, an operator simply grips the handle bar, tips the cabinet rearwardly until its weight rests entirely upon wheels 16, and then rolls the cabinet upon its wheels to its intended location. It is believed evident, therefore, that the present flatiron and ironing board cabinet constitutes a highly portable and easily movable unit. Because of its attractive appearance, it may be left within the corrider or hallway of an establishment and, if a guest should desire to press his clothes, he may then easily wheel the cabinet into his room.

When the cabinet is to be used, an operator simply opens door 18 to the position illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 4, and then lifts the ironing board until it locks in horizontal position. Cord 34 is plugged into a convenient electric socket and the switch 37 isclosed by depression of the plunger after the insertion of a coin.

An important aspect of the present invention lies in providing a slender, compact cabinet which is stabilized by the closure member or door 18 when the unit is in use. As shown most clearly in FIGURE 4, the lower edge 13a of door 18 extends along the same horizontal plane as the undersurface of bottom wall portion 17 and the lower edges of wheels 16. Thus, when the door is in the open position illustrated in the drawings, its engagement with a floor surface beneath the elevated board 22 greatly stabilizes the unit and prevents the cabinet from tipping forwardly when weight is imposed upon the ironing board, as in an ordinary garment pressing operation. Therefore, the door not only serves as a closure for the cabinet when the ironing board is folded, but also prevents tipping of the cabinet when the board is in use.

While in the foregoing I have disclosed an embodiment of the present invention in considerable detail for purposes of illustration, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that many of these details may be varied considerably without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

In a structure of the character described, a vertically elongated cabinet having top, side, rear and bottom walls defining a chamber therein and having a front access opening, a door hingedly mounted upon said cabinet for swinging movement about a vertical axis between a closed position sealing said access opening and an open position extending outwardly away from the cabinet, said bottom wall being provided with a flat front surface portion adjacent said access opening for frictionally engaging a floor surface to restrain horizontal movement of said cabinet, said bottom wall also being provided with a rear portion sloping upwardly and rearwardly from said front portion and being provided with wheels adjacent said rear wall, handle means provided by the upper portion of said rear wall for use in manually tipping said cabinet rearwardly and in Wheeling the same about with the front surface portion of said bottom wall lifted from the floor, an ironing board hingedly connected to said cabinet and movable between a raised position extending outwardly in the direction of said door when the same is in open position and a lowered position Within the chamber of said cabinet, said door having a horizontal lower edge portion extending along substantially the same horizontal plane as said front portion of said bottom wall and being engageable with a floor surface when the door is in said open position to further restrain horizontal movement of the cabinet and to prevent forward tipping movement of said cabinet in response to downward forces imposed upon the raised ironing board.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,664,355 Davis Mar. 27, 1928 1,673,583 Nystrom June 12, 1928 2,677,518 Happy et al. May 4, 1954 2,701,425 Rewald Feb. 8, 195 

